Printing-plate holder



Aug. 24,1926( 1,597,534

o, MEYER vPRINTING .PLATE HOLDER Filed August 14. 1925 Fig, 5- F1-5LB.

Patented Aug. 24, 1926.

UNITED srarss Oscar. MEYER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

:enflamme-Pr.

ATE H OLDER..

Application led August 14, 1925. Seriall No. 50,186.

The present inventionis acontinuation in. part of my pending application for Ui S; Letters Patent Ser. No. 13,977, vfiled March s 9, 1925. 1

An object of'the presentinvention is to providemeans for attaching printing plates to thecylinder segment `carrying the printing plate of so-called multigraph printing machines and other printing devices or l presses wherein printing plates are to be temporarily secured to the segment.

it will be understood that the present invention is capable Of varied expression; particularly as adapted to use in the various branches in the printers and other arts, so

that the illustrations and descriptions thereof herein are to be understood as merely eX- emplary, and therefore not exhaustive. The subjoined claims will define its scope, in view 2o of the modifications and adaptations which may be made by those who practice the arts to which it is adaptable.

Heretofore, so far asv I am'aware, the curved printing plates, such `as have been used with what are known under the trade name of multigrap'h printers machines. have been provided with solidxT-shaped radial projections, which latter projections are adapted toregister laterally with suitable T-slots in the periphery of the segment, the said T-shapedl projections being integral with the printing plate. By my present invention l obviate using the solid T-shaped projections; using in place thereofv projections formed from vsheet'metal or the like and, therefore, more or less resilient laterally with respect to said projections, in order to insure thatV the projections will adapt themselves to the'T-s`lots'of the platen 40 more readily than would a solid material projection. This resiliency is desired in oase of inaccuracy in manufacture affecting the spacing of the projections as well as to their Vform with respect tothe T-shaped slots with which the projections Acooperate, though their shapes may not exactly regi ister. In the exampledA form, the slots are T-shaped, while the projections are generally like so-called-T-rails. The said projections i in one form shown in the drawings (Figs. l and 2) appear as radialv clips extending from the printing plate.

Manufacturing advantage obtained by the` present invention is, therefore, that a greaterA tolerance is admissible, vwhich,fof course,

operates to lessen labor cost in making the completed printing plates.

The present invention, asfapplied to multigraph platesreferred to, will difterin de.4 tails from itsapplication to printing plates of large dimensions, such as are used in commercial presses for yprinting newspapers, books and large output matter, wherein the printing' plates are made of thicker material,

lV ith reference to the accompanying sheet of drawings 'i Fig. l shows an end view of acylinder segment of a form of printing device gen-.

erally known as a multigraph printing maA chine. It also shows the printing plate in place.

F i g. 2 shows a fragmentary portion-of the n periphery of parts viewed from the side as shown in Fig. l, enlarged to make the details of the slots and cooperating radial projections or clips more distinct.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the key used toattach the printing plate to the cylinder segment, the end view of which is shown 1n Fig. 2.

Fig. 4, shows a modification of Fig. 2V

wher/ein the key has a compression bolt and wherein the key self-adjusts itself.

Fig. shows a side view ofthe key shown in Fig. 4 which is a modification of the key shown in Fig.k 3 wherein the compression bolts are shown at each end arranged to draw the wings of the key vtogether so that the key may be freely inserted into the dovetail slot and the bolt thereafter Vturned to permit the, wings ofthe key to ieX outwardly to adapt themselves to the dovetail slot in the manner as will appear.

Fig.' 6 shows an endview of the key shown in Figs. t and 5 wherein the bolt of one end j 1s in view.

Fig. .7 is a plan` view of the key shown in Figs. t to6.

The T-shaped slots 7, which are formed between adjacent T-shaped projections 8 are equally spaced over the periphery of the cylinder segment 9. The dovetail slots l0 of the printing plate 11, which receive they key shown in Fig. 3, are spaceda multiple.`

may be varied depending upon the size of the printing plate, though the dovetail slots in the'printing plate willpreferably be a multiple of the radial angle between the T-shaped slots in the periphery of the cylinder segment.

In the first stages of manufacture of the printing plate 11 there are no radial pro jections for attaching the plate; these projections are applied later and as a `final operation. Accordingly, a dovetail groove 10 is milled or planed laterally of the inside curvature of the plate; in fact the groove l() may have `a convex form at its bottom, generally conforming with the curvatureof the plate. Moreover-,the groove 10 may have sides which are not obliquely angled with the bottom of the groove so that the groove will not then be dovetail in form. However, I prefer to make the grooves 10 dovetail in form, to improve the mechanical union and adaptation of the key to the groove. The dovetail groove 10 inFig. 2 in the drawings is shown relatively deep to the thickness of the-sheet material of the key. lVhere the plate is made of thin mate-- rial, as is usually'the case in plates used for multigraph printing machines, the depth of the groove vfor receiving the key will not be appreciably deeper lthan the thickness of the sheet material of the key.

The key Fig'. 3 is made of sheet material which preferably has theA quality of resilience so that its crown will flex with its web portion.` The wings 12 together with the folded web portion 13 and the crown portion 14 have the general exterior appearancevofa so-called T-rail referred to. The outer edges of the wings 12 may be beveled as shown in Fig. 3 to angularly register with the dovetail groove 10, but this is not essential, since the sheet material of` the key is thin enough to lit into the dovetail groove 10 by applying the key endwise with slight force to overcome the friction which is occasioned by the resilience of the edges of the. wings of the key due to the wings having a normal spread somewhat greater than the maximum width of the dovetail groove. lVhen the key is forced into its position in the dovetail groove 10 it vcannot be readily removed by force applied radially because to do this the resilience operating to spread the wings, 12 and the attendant friction along the sides of the dovetail groove will operate against this. That is, the key will resist being withdrawn radially from the dovetail groove Vcontaining it, though due to its resilience at the web portion 13 it will permit lateral movement of the crown portion without unseating the wings 12 from the groove. In order to make the key more secure in the dovetail groove of the printing plate, a cement or other adhesive may be applied into the groove before inserting the wings of the key. Moreover, after the' key is in place, Vthe overhanging suiiiciently to permit the. printing plate to be laterally applied and held su'liiciently rigid. That is, the clips of lmy inventiony adapt themselves to a certain degree and moreover, obviate play or looseness as is occasioned withl ill-fitting clips where no automatic or self-adjusting fitting is provided between them and the T-slots.

In this connection, it will be understood that it is only required that the crown of the clip shall have a clasp or resilient shoul der engagement. Thus, the printing plate would be snugly retained if'but one shoulder of the crown of the clip were making contact with a T-projection or if the crown were: designed 4to make contact under a single shoulder thereof because of one shoulder of the clips being omitted.

In applying the invention to printing plates having considerable thickness, the dovetail slots may be given a greater depth and the key inserted without adhesive after the printing plate has been loosely applied to the periphery of the cylinder segment. The wings 12 of the key shown in F ig. 2 will then serve to adjust the key with reference to thel dovetail slot and the registering T-shaped slot, though said slots are not exactly aligned due to inaccuracy in manufacture; however they will retain the plate rigidly enough 'for operative purposes.

The modification of the key shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7- lends itself to the uses illustrated by Fig. L1, wherein the screw bolts 15 having a threadedV union with one ofv the opposite webs 13 may be turned so as to draw the shoulder of the bolt head to flex the webs 13 inwardly so that the wings 12 may be freely inserted into the dovetail slot 10 while the crown of the key slides loosely into the T-shaped slot 7. After two or more of the keys have been placed, one for each pair of registering dovetail slots and T-shaped slots, the bolts 15 will be loosened to admit of the keys seating themselvesresponsive to their resilience now unrestrained by the respective bolts. In withdrawing the keys shown -in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the bolts will first be set up of the webs of the' key whereupon the key will have play land may thus be freely removed so that the printingV plate will thereby become free.A The invention as applied as in Fig. t thus affords a self-adjustto overcome the resilience ing link for attaching a printing plate or the like to a cylinder and which link may be readily removed.

l. A printing plate, comprised of a stereotype plate having ribs of flexible material made rigid with the plate for registry with slots of a printing cylinder for thereby securing the printing plate to the cylinder.

2. A printing plate, comprised of a. stereotype plate having resilient ribs of thin sheet material made rigid with the plate for registry with the slots of a printing cylinder for thereby securing the printing plate to the cylinder.

3. A printing plate, comprised of a stereotype plate having resilient ribs of thin sheet material folded upon itself and made rigid with the plate for self-adjusting registry with the slots of a printing cylinder for thereby securing the printing plate to the cylinder.

4. In a printing mechanism, a printing plate comprised of a stereotype plate, ribs of thin sheet material made rigid with the plate, a printing cylinderfor holding the plate, dovetail slots lengthwise of the cylinder whereby the printing plate may be applied and removed from the cylinder in which the ribs cooperate with the slots and wherein due to the flexibility of the thin ribs the plate will become securely adjusted into fitting position with respect to the cylinder notwithstanding that the ribs as positioned on the plate do not exactly register with the slots of the cylinder.

5. In a printing` mechanism, a printing plate comprised of a curved stereotype plate, ribs of thin sheet material made rigid with the plate, a printing cylinder for holding the plate, dovetail slots lengthwise of the cylinder whereby the printing plate may be applied and removed from the cylinder by sliding the plate lengthwise of the cylinder and wherein due to the flexibility of the thin ribs the plate will become securely adjusted into fitting relation with respect to the periphery of the cylinder notwithstanding that the ribs as positioned on the plate of thin sheet material made rigid with .the

plate, a holder for the plate, dovetail slots of the holder whereby the printing plate may be applied and removed from the holder in which the ribs cooperate with the slots and wherein due to the flexibility of the thin ribs the plate will become securely adjusted into fitting relation with respect to the surface of the holder notwithstanding that the ribs as positioned on the plate do not exactly register with the slots of the holder.

7. In a printing mechanism, a printing plate comprised of a stereotype. pla-te, ribs of thin sheet material made rigid with the plate, a holder for the plate, slots of the holder cooperative with the ribs of the plate whereby the printing plate may be applied and removed from the holder by a movement parallel with the lengthwise direction of the ribs and wherein due to the flexibility of the ribs the plate will become securely adjusted into fitting relation with respect to the sur` face of the holder notwithstanding that the ribs as positioned on the plate do not exactly register with the slots of the holder.

In a printing mechanism, a printing plate comprised of a stereotype plate, ribs of thin sheet material having resilience and made rigid with the plate, a holder for the plate, dovetail slots of the holder cooperative with the contour of the ribs of the plate whereby the printing plate may be applied and removed from the holder by a movement parallel with the lengthwise direction of the ribs and wherein due to the flexibility of the ribs the plate will become securely adjusted into fitting relation with respect to the surface of the holder notwithstanding that the ribs as positioned on the plate do not exactly register with the slots of the holder. i

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 12th day of August, 1925.

OSCAR MEYER. 

